The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3696.
In the blog of a recent Everyman (3692), there was a complaint about the number of envelope clues. I count nine there, and eleven here, some involving other techniques in addition. Maybe that means at least one person is not a happy solver, but, as the envelope is one of the basic tools of a setter, I do not think it greatly overused – but I would not want its proportion to go any higher. Perhaps Everyman is deliberately pushing the envelope. Comments welcome, of course.
| Across | ||
| 1 | LUKEWARM | Conflict between evangelist and medium lacking conviction (8) |
| An envelope (‘between’) of WAR (‘conflict’) in LUKE (‘evangelist’) plus M (‘medium’). | ||
| 5 | OPAQUE | Hard to understand old memorial with line missing (6) |
| A charade of O (‘old’) plus P[l]AQUE (‘memorial’; a plaque may or may not be a memorial, so this is an unannounced indication by example) minus the L (‘with line missing’). | ||
| 9 | SURVEYOR | Inspector, very sour, perplexed (8) |
| An anagram (‘perplexed’) of ‘very sour’. | ||
| 10 | COBALT | Business with type of curry lacking one element (6) |
| A charade of CO (company, ‘business’) plus BALT[i] (‘type of curry’) minus the I (‘lacking one’). | ||
| 11 | ROUT | King not in for defeat (4) |
| A charade of R (Rex, ‘king’) plus OUT (‘not in’). | ||
| 12 | WET BLANKET | Spoilsport being vacuous in silly tweet (3,7) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of BLANK (‘vacuous’) in WETET, an anagram (‘silly’) of ‘tweet’. | ||
| 15 | FOOLS PARADISE | Plead for Oasis to reform? It’s a fond illusion (5,8) |
| An anagram (‘to reform’) of ‘plead for Oasis’. | ||
| 18 | OVERSTATEMENT | Condition people to be taken in by obvious exaggeration (13) |
| An envelope (‘to be taken in by’) of STATE (‘condition’) plus MEN (‘people’) in OVERT (‘obvious’). | ||
| 20 | HORRENDOUS | Dreadful distorted drone in group of singers without leader (10) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of RENDO, an anagram (‘distorted’) of ‘drone’ in [c]HORUS (‘group of singers’) minus its first letter (‘without leader’). | ||
| 22 | ERGO | Hesitation? Leave for that reason (4) |
| A charade of ER (‘hesitation’) plus GO (‘leave’). | ||
| 24 | MAGGOT | Larval form wise men mostly understood (6) |
| A charade of MAG[i] (‘wise men’) minus its last letter (‘mostly’) plus GOT (‘understood’). | ||
| 25 | KNAPSACK | Trick involving snake put back in bag (8) |
| An envelope (‘involving’) of PSA, a reversal (‘put back’) of ASP (‘snake’) in KNACK (‘trick’). | ||
| 26 | ELDEST | Part of rebel destined to be greatest in age (6) |
| A hidden answer (‘part of’) in ‘rebEL DESTined’. | ||
| 27 | DRUDGERY | Tramp not having time consumed by boring toil (8) |
| An envelope (‘consumed by’) of [t]RUDGE (‘tramp’) minus the T (‘not having time’) in DRY (‘boring’). | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | LUSTRE | Passionate desire regarding glory (6) |
| A charade of LUST (‘passionate desire’) plus RE (‘regarding’). | ||
| 2 | KERFUFFLE | Wake, not half upset about loud commotion (9) |
| A charade of ‘[wa]ke’ minus the first two letters (‘not half’) plus RFUFFLE, an envelope (‘about’) of F (Forte, musically ‘loud’) in RUFFLE (‘upset’). | ||
| 3 | WEEK | Sequence of days inadequate for hearing (4) |
| A homophone (‘for hearing’) of WEAK (‘inadequate’). | ||
| 4 | RHODE ISLAND | Run hard, followed by mutated aliens in unusual state (5,6) |
| A charade of R (‘run’) plus H (‘hard’) plus ODEISLAND, an envelope (‘in’) of EISLAN, an anagram (‘mutated’) of ‘aliens’ in ODD (‘unusual’ – for once not an anagrind) | ||
| 6 | PROPAGATED | Spread support with notice outside entrance (10) |
| A charade of PROP (‘support’) plus AGATED, an envelope (‘outside’) of GATE (‘entrance’) in AD (‘notice’). | ||
| 7 | QUACK | Sound made by duck that’s fake (5) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 8 | ENTITLED | Eligible to be named (8) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 13 | BLADE RUNNER | Film derived from book with unreal end, strangely right (5,6) |
| A charade of B (‘book’) plus LADERUNNE, an anagram (‘strangely’) of ‘unreal end’ plus R (‘right’), for Ridley Scott’s 1982 film, with an extended definition. | ||
| 14 | BOISTEROUS | Vehicle skirting rocky rise, too rough (10) |
| An envelope (‘skirting’) of OISTERO, an anagram (‘rocky’) of ‘rise too’ in BUS (‘vehicle’). | ||
| 16 | INTERFACE | Broadcast after nice connection between systems (9) |
| An anagram (‘broadcast’) of ‘after nice’. | ||
| 17 | BONHOMIE | New hotel in prosperous period that is providing conviviality (8) |
| A charade of BONHOM, an envelope (‘in’) of N (‘new’) plus H (‘hotel’) in BOOM (‘prosperous period’) plus I.E. (id est, ‘that is’). | ||
| 19 | DONKEY | Teacher vital for stupid person (6) |
| A charade of DON (‘teacher’) plus KEY (‘vital’). | ||
| 21 | RIGID | Unyielding soldier breaking free (5) |
| An envelope (‘breaking’) of GI (American ‘soldier’) in RID (‘free’, as a verb). | ||
| 23 | SPUD | Potato up in cupboard upstairs (4) |
| A hidden reversed (‘up’ in a down light) answer in ‘cupboarD UPStairs’. | ||
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